The Los Angeles Dodgers franchise dealt with a massive, ugly headache thanks to ex-owner Frank McCourt’s massive, ugly divorce. It’s hard to imagine any NHL team facing that much owner drama, but one of the Vancouver Canucks’ owners could face something close to it with his pending split.

Aquilini’s company owns both the Canucks and Rogers Arena, but as The Globe & Mail’s David Ebner reports, Francesco’s exact stake isn’t clear. That marks at least one obvious difference between the Canucks’ case and the Dodgers’ debacle off the bat, as TEAM 1040 points out that Frank McCourt held the “title directly.”

Early conclusions

Confused yet? That’s OK, as it seems this story is in the early (aka “smoke screen”) stages.

It’s unclear if Francesco Aquilini is correct in saying that the Canucks aren’t in play in the divorce, but either way, this could be a distraction for the team – or at least fans and the media.

Then again, with all the chaos the franchise has endured – from riots to Roberto Luongo – this ordeal might just seem like a new flavor of weird.